The Kalam Cosmological Argument

St. Thomas Aquinas’s first cosmological argument, the prime mover, defines things in the world as being either in a state of potentiality or in a state of actuality. Those things that are in potentiality are things that have the capability of being reduced to another form. Such as a boy is potentially a man, or tree is potentially a house. Things that are in a state of actuality are things that are currently reaching their potential; such as that boy becoming a man, or that tree becoming that house. Aquinas observed that all things in a state of actuality had to have been put into that state by something that was already in actuality. In thinking about this he concluded that there would have to be an infinite regress of actual things making potential things actual. He concluded that this would be impossible because given that, there would be no first mover. He instead, postulated that there must be a first mover. A being that never had potential but only has existed in a state of infinite actuality. That what we call God.

The issue that is unjustifiable in McCloskey’s argument as proofs is he dismisses the favor of God’s existence when the standard of “one hundred percent certainty is not reached” (Forman,2012). Instead of centering one focus on proving God’s existence, you must seek an accumulative case approach to explain the best case to God’s existence, which is streams of evidence to develop a strong case (Forman,2012). Proof and certainty are not always a reliable possibility, especially when it comes to our senses or scientific beliefs (Forman,2012). According to Evans and Manis “the failure to produce a proof of God’s existence does not necessarily mean that no one has any justified beliefs about God” (Evans & Manis, 2009, p. 61). The cosmological and teleological argument provides substantial amount of expositions for God existence meanwhile McCloskey’s arguments contradict themselves on the standard of proof that he

I believe that that the Cosmological argument gives good reason to believe in the existence of God. The Cosmological argument focuses on everything having a cause except one thing that started it all, this starter is known as the “Prime Mover”. The Prime Mover is the one that starts everything without anything having a previous effect on it. With that people have assumed that the logical answer to who the prime mover is, is God. This to me seems the most logical of arguments because although there is the idea of eternity and an eternal cycle there has to be a starting point. I do not believe the argument is successful.

The Strengths and Weaknesses of the Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God The cosmological argument seeks to prove the existence of God by looking at the universe. It is an A posteriori proof based on experience and the observation of the world not logic so the outcome is probable or possible not definite. The argument is in three forms; motion, causation and being. These are also the first three ways in the five ways presented by Aquinas through which he believed the existence of God could be shown.

The Success of the Kalam Cosmological Argument in Establishing an Existence in God The kalam cosmological argument is an argument from the existence of the world or universe- to the existence of God, I think this is effective because the existence of the universe, such arguments claim, stands in need of explanation, the only adequate explanation, the arguments suggest, is that it was created by God. This is because it says that everything that has a beginning of its existence has a cause of its existence and the universe has a beginning of it’s existence; so it must have a cause to exist, and this cause is God, therefore God exists.

out that God is unique and that the laws of nature do not apply to

Celebrated on October 31st, the festival of Halloween (also known as Samhain) includes dressing in costume, trick or treating, and decorating. Tracing back in history Halloween is considered to be one of America’s oldest holidays, and is still celebrated today. Halloween is believed to come from Celtic rituals. Celtics believed the cosmological myth of Saman (Lord of the Dead). Saman would call on the souls of the people that passed away that year to take them to the afterlife or underworld; the Celtic underworld identifies with the Christian Hell. In order for the spirits to believe they were on their own, the living would wear costumes and mask their identities, along with fairies, witches and demons. This functions as a cosmological myth because it provides a creation story and framework in which this universe occupies and includes many other realms of existence. Another tradition that followed was to give food to the Saman, to persuade him to be more tolerant while he judged the dead ancestors of the living, which he would chose to take to the underworld. In this essay I will further investigate what the origins of Halloween consist of and how it offers reasoning for trick-or-treating. Also I will examine how trick-or-treating, which is still continued today, is connected to ancient Celtic festivals.

There are two forms of the cosmological argument. One is the Kalam argument: Like all cosmological arguments, the kalam cosmological argument is an argument from the existence of the world or universe to the existence of God. The existence of the universe, such arguments claim, stands in need of explanation. The only adequate explanation, the arguments suggest, is that God created it.

What does the phrase ‘social justice’ mean? Is it fairness in terms of social life? Equity in the way people are treated within a community? Or even simply, justice for those who are social? Oxford Dictionary describes social justice as “ justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society,” (Social Justice). Economically, this can mean that monetary resources are evenly distributed throughout the general public. The equal opportunity aspect of social justice can mean that everyone received a fair chance to participate in something. Finally, social justice looks to bring the same privileges to everyone, regardless of background, race, class, gender, or anything else that can be discriminatory. One issue of social justice that I’d like to focus on would be the treatment of those who suffer from traumatic brain injuries (TBI). More specifically, focusing on the assistance currently being given to soldiers who suffer from TBI after they return from war. In order to bring about better social justice for soldiers who suffer from traumatic brain injuries (TBI), current programs helping the injured to transition back to civilian life need to be adapted to better support troops.

1. The Cosmological Argument for the existence of God is based on the principle of cause and effect. What this basically means is that the universe was the effect of a cause, which was God. One of the oldest and most well known advocates of the Cosmological Argument was Thomas Aquinas who outlines his argument for the existence of God in his article entitled The Five Ways. The first way in his argument is deals with motion. Aquinas says that in order for something to be in motion something had to move it because it is impossible for something to move without the presence of some sort of outside force upon it. Therefore the world around us, nature, and our very existence could not have been put into motion without the influence of the

The cosmological argument is an a posteriori argument which intends to prove that there is an intelligent being that exists; the being is distinct from the universe, explains the existence of the universe, and is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent and omnibenevolent. The basic notion of cosmological arguments is that the world and everything in it is dependent on something other than itself for its existence. It explains that everything has a cause, that there must have been a first cause, and that this first cause was itself uncaused.

The ontological, cosmological, and teleological arguments collectively strive to prove one point, the existence of God. Ontological arguments lean on reasoning to prove its point of an a priori being or existence. Cosmological arguments focus on the idea that our infinite and expanding universe had to have been created by God or a higher being, due to the complexity of the universe itself. Teleological argument emphasizes on the idea that God constructed the universe for the sole purpose of completing an end result in which the universe was made for.

Some of the three major arguments for the existence of God are cosmological, ontological, and teleological arguments. Cosmological argument is the reasoning that the being of the universe is powerful proof for the existence of a God who made it. There are two main forms of cosmological argument, the modal and temporal. Modal cosmological argument, also known as the argument from contingency, recommends that because the world may not have existed, we then need some clarification of why it does exist. When there is more than one likelihood, something has to decide which of the possibilities is understood clearly. Therefore the world is contingent, because there has to be a logical reason for its existence. This form of argument also claims that the only type of existence that doesn’t need any clarification is a being that does not failed to exist such as God. Temporal cosmological argument, also known as the Kalam argument, contends that all evidence are that there is a point in life at which the world began to exist, and that this starting must either have been caused or uncaused. The cosmological argument used by Aquinas declares that since nothing originates from nothing. Therefore the world must have been brought into reality by something outside it, which can be called "God".

The disorder I will be focusing on is Major Depressive Disorder. Major Depressive Disorder, also known as major depression, has been a continuing health problem for human beings throughout the course of history. According to documents written by philosophers, healers and other writers, depression has had a deep-rooted existence dating as far back as the second millennium B.C. At this time, Major Depressive Disorder was referred to as “melancholia.” The earliest documentation of melancholia appeared in the ancient texts of the Mesopotamian population. It was then believed that all mental illness was a result of demonic possession and could only be healed by the power of a priest. It was not until much later that the first historical understanding of depression as a spiritual or mental illness was recorded. According to historical documentation, populations such as the ancient Greeks, Romans, Chinese and Egyptian civilizations had controversial thinking about the causes of melancholia, or depression. The Chinese and Egyptian cultures believed that their mentally ill were possessed by demons and practiced exorcism techniques such as beatings, restraint and starvation. Unlike the Chinese and Egyptians, the Romans and Greeks contributed mental illness and depression to biological and psychological disease. Treatment techniques such as gymnastics, massage, special diets, music, baths and herbal

Letham also notes that the term “Mother” in reference to God is never a metaphor when used in the Old Testament and is absent in the New Testament (36). Thus, the names ‘Father’ and ‘Son’ portray the relationship between the two as it is “more pious and accurate to name God in connection with his Son an call Him Father, than to name Him from His works and call Him Unoriginate” (Letham 137). As the Father has given the Son the ability to have life in Himself, the Son is also able to grant eternal life to others (John 5:26). Fatherhood is also an appropriate component of God’s character as Jesus depends, obeys and honors the Father. Multiple times in the Bible, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, it is declared to honor and obey your Father and Mother (Exodus 20:12, Ephesians 6:1). However, Letham warns that the relationship between the Father and Son is not to be understood on the pattern of human fatherhood for God is neither sexual nor measurable by time (35). Although the names Father and Son may evoke a sense of hierarchy between the two, God is a triunity and rules as a monarch. There is equality within the Triune God and no person of the holy Trinity is greater or lesser than the other.